Penn-Lewis - Soul and Spirit

8/4/2019 Penn-Lewis - Soul and Spirit

1/55

essie Penn-Lewis:Soul & Spirit.Table of Contents

SOUL AND SPIRIT By Jessie Penn-Lewis

ONTENTS

SOUL AND SPIRIT

THE " CARNAL " CHRISTIAN

THE " MAN OF SOUL "

HOW " SOUL " AND " SPIRIT " ARE DIVIDED

THE " SPIRITUAL " (PNEUMATIKOS) CHRISTIAN

SOME LIGHT UPON THE PERILS OF THE LAST DAYS

THE WORLD ISSUES OF TO-DAY

THE PSYCHIC DISCOVERIES IN THE LAST DAYS

" THE SON CAN DO NOTHING OF HIMSELF "

0. CALLING THE PSYCHICAL " SPIRITUAL "

. THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN SOUL AND SPIRIT

st of BooksHome Page

ttp://www.worldinvisible.com/library/jessiepenn-lewis/soulspirit/soulspirit.c.htm [28/07/2004 12:31:31 a.m.]
http://www.worldinvisible.com/library/bookcat.htmhttp://www.worldinvisible.com/http://www.worldinvisible.com/http://www.worldinvisible.com/library/bookcat.htm


2/55

essie Penn-Lewis:Soul & Spirit.

CHAPTER I

OUL AND SPIRIT

Hebrews 4: 12)

HE ignorance of Christians concerning the distinction between " soul " and " spirit " is very general

d is a primary cause of the lack of full growth in the spiritual life in many devoted and earnest

lievers. G. H. Pember points out as the cause of this ignorance the popular phraseology of " soul an

ody ", which has caused a deficiency in the English language. He says that although we have the no

spirit and soul "which are too often treated as synonyms-we have no adjective from the latter, with

nsequence that the omission of such an adjective has almost concealed man's tripartite nature in th

rsions of the English Bible, where the " Greek word which signifies ` pertaining to the soul ' " is

metimes rendered " natural " and sometimes " sensual " (see I Corinthians 2:14, James 3:15, Jude 1

f course Greek scholars know well the different words in the original which stand for spirit pneuma

ul-psuche; flesh-sarx; but to the generality of Christians these distinctions are veiled, with the resu

at they are unable to discriminate in experience between things that differ, and yet which vitally be

their peace. The need of knowledge is becoming of more than academic importance, for the fallen

rchangel, with his superhuman wisdom, knows the make-up of human beings, and is now, as an an

light, bringing to bear all the power of the knowledge which he possesses, upon counterfeiting the

orking of the Holy Spirit, and CREATING IN THE REALM OF THE SOUL such perfect imitatio

e pure life of the Spirit of God indwelling the man's spirit, that the most earnest Christians are liabl

deceived. It is therefore necessary that the teaching of the ScriptureIupon the distinction between

d spirit, should be brought within the range of the apprehension of the youngest believer, and madeear as possible from the Word of God.

he writer is not attempting to meet the need of those who are able to go direct to the Greek Testame

d read for themselves, but to assist those who must have other help, as they earnestly seek the aid o

e Spirit of God to enable them to grasp the truth, and receive spiritual understanding of spiritual fac

t forth in the Scripture as necessary for their growth in life and godliness. Let the reader, then, paus

is point, and in an act of faith take the promise of John 14: 26-" The Holy Spirit ... shall teach you a

ings . . . " and John 16:13, "He will guide you into all truth " with confidence that the Spirit of God

lfil His office to the teachable child of God. The Holy Spirit is able to teach the believer in experie

e distinction between " soul and spirit ", without his ever knowing the truth intellectually; and vice

rsa, the scholar may see clearly the difference as expressed in the Greek without knowing all that t

ords mean experimentally-i.e., he may hold the truth in mental instead of spiritual power, and then

ut the letter of the Word without the spirit. Moreover, the believer who has been taught experimenta

y the Holy Spirit the dividing of " soul and spirit " before apprehending the distinction with his

telligence, is better able to understand, and " rightly divide the word of truth ", than the reader of th

reek who is untaught of God, for back of the words in the Scriptures there are spiritual verities whi

ttp://www.worldinvisible.com/library/jessiepenn-lewis/soulspirit/chapter 1.htm (1 of 5) [28/07/2004 12:31:33 a.m.]


3/55


nnot be understood by the natural man-i.e., the " pertaining to the soul " man (lit. I Cor.2: I4)-and c

nly be known by revelation.( See I Cor.2:10-12)

ut first as to the missing adjective ! G. H. Pember says that an attempt is being made to use the Gre

ord " psychic " for expressing in English the adjective for soul. The word is, however, too " Greek

speak, to commend itself for general use. In connection with ames iii. 15, Pember uses the word

oulish ", and this seems more nearly to express what is needed. Stockmayer also uses this same wo

ul-ish "-to signify that which " pertains to the soul ", for he says in reference to i Corinthians ii. 14,e Greek text has it, the ` soulman ', or `soulish-man '. As spiritual is the adjective of spirit, so is sou

e adjective of soul ". The word " soulish " therefore might well be generally accepted by English

aders as the missing adjective, which will enable us to speak of the " soulish " as well as the " spirit

ICor. 3:1) or " carnal " (fleshy), Christian, and the meaning be understood. For this purpose it will s

ed in the present treatise.

s to the distinction between soul and spirit, Gall points out that not only in the English language is t

stinction made, but in every classic language from Hebrew downward. In the English New Testam

wo passages only bring out the distinction clearly, viz., Hebrews iv. I2Dividing soul and spirit "-andhessalonians 5:23Sanctify you, spirit, soul and body ". These two, however, are sufficient, for the

nglish reader, to see that man is tripartite, and not only " soul " and " body ".

he " soul " (psuche) and its functions

he next point for consideration is the question, What is the ` soul' in distinction from the spirit, and

e its functions ? " Here some quotations from other writers will help us before we turn to the

criptures, to discover what the Apostle means by the " dividing of soul and spirit ", and thus more

early understand howspirit, soul and body " can be sanctified, and preserved blameless unto the comthe Lord.

ertullian, one of the Fathers who wrote in the early centuries of the Christian era, calls the " flesh "-

hysical being-the " body of the soul ", and the soul thevessel of the spirit ". The soul stands between

espirit and the body, for " direct communication between spirit and flesh is impossible; their

tercourse can be carried on only by means of a medium " *-the " soul " being that medium.

he " soul was the meeting place, the point of union between body and spirit ", also writes Dr. Andre

urray. " Through the body, man-the living soul (Gen.2:7)-stood related to the external world of sen

rough the " spirit he stood related to thespiritual world ".

ember explains the function of each very clearly when he says, " The body we may term the sense-

nsciousness; the soul the self-consciousness; and the spirit the God-consciousness ". Again he says

ody " gives us the use of the five senses "; and the soul, the " intellect which aids us in the present s

existence, and the emotions which proceed from the senses ", whilst the spirit is the highest part w

came directly from God, and by which alone we apprehend and worship Him ".



4/55


r. Andrew Murray accords with this, when he writes that the gifts with which the soul was endowed

hen man became a " living soul ", were those of " consciousness, self-determination, or mind and w

and these were to be but the " mould or vessel " into which the life of the spirit was to be received.

urray also says " The spirit is the seat of our God-consciousness; the soul of our self-consciousness

ody of our world-consciousness. In the spirit, God dwells; in the soul, self; in the body, sense ".f

gain, Pember writes concerning the creation of man, and how the tripartite being was formed-" Godrst moulded the senseless frame, and then breathed into itthe ' breath of lives ' (Genesis 2:7. The

iginal is in the plural)," and this " may refer to the fact that the inbreathing of God produced a two-

e-sensual (in the meaning of pertaining to the senses) and spiritual...." He adds, in a footnote, that

ossibly the meaning of the use of the plural in the " breath of lives ", is that " the inbreathing of God

came the spirit, and at the same time by its action upon the body, produced the soul ".

riefly, we see that all these writers practically define the " soul " as the seat of the personality,

nsisting of the will and the intellect or mind; a personal entity standing between the " spirit " with i

penness to the spiritual world, and the " body "-open to the outer world of nature and sense-having tower of choice as to which world shall dominate or control the entire man.of For instance, when Ad

alked in the garden of Eden, the spirit breathed into him by God dominated his " soul "-i.e., intellec

ind, will-and through the vessel the " soul " shone out in, and through, the earthly tabernacle of clay

ody-making it luminous with light, impervious to cold and heat, and able perfectly to fulfil the obje

creation.

he Fall of Man

ut-alas, that a " but " has to be written-man fell, and after a time the result was seen as described byord Himself in His words, " Every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continuall

Genesis 6:5, R.V.). The " Fall " apparently began in the intellectual department of the soul, for it is s

at Eve saw that " The tree was to be desired to make one wise " (Genesis 3:6 R.V.). The appeal of t

rpent was not made to the vessel of clay, or the outer man, for the body was then perfectly dominat

y the Spirit; but it was directed to the intellect and understanding of man, and based on a lawful des

advance in knowledge and power in the unseen realm of another world. " Ye shall be as God," said

rpent, not " ye shall be as the beasts ", created by God ! The temptation was KNOWLEDGE, and t

ry knowledge which probably God meant to give in due season, but grasped before its time,and ou

od's will.

he words of the Apostle Paul in I Corinthians1: 19, are therefore very significant in connection with

pect of the Fall, for the " word of the Cross ", is said by the Apostle to be the power of God to " de

e wisdom of the wise ". Since sin entered through the avenue of the intellect, salvation comes by a

ross which destroys the fallen " wisdom " by the very acceptance of its message, for the preaching o

hrist crucified " is to the wisdom of men " foolishness "(I Cor. 1:18-25) Thus God, in His wisdom,

ovides salvation in a waywhich deals with the cause by which the Fall came about ! Therefore Pau

rites, " If any man thinkeththat he is WISE among you ... let him become a fool, that he may becom



5/55


ise, for the WISDOM OF THIS WORLDIS FOOLISHNESS WITH GOD " (I Cor. 3: 18,19 R.V.)

ve, moreover, fell through yielding to the very temptation which had caused the fall of Satan himse

r lie had said " I will be like the Most High . . . " (Isa. 14:13,14)The tempter knew how to attract Ev

y suggesting to her something higher than she possessed, for she was limited by a body made of dus

ut had a soul capable of appreciating knowledge and growth, through the higher part of the tripartite

ing.

he full effect of the downfall we do not see until years afterward, when the record of the condition o

e race shows that the road down was rapid, for the " wisdom " which gave knowledge of good and

the Garden of Eden reached its ultimate in due course, in a complete sinking into " flesh ", so that

rt of man's tripartite nature which he had in common with the animal creation, obtained the upper

nd. Then it was that God looked down upon the fallen race, and said, " My Spirit shall not abide in

an ... for in their going astray they are flesh " (Gen. 6:3) And so it is, that not only has " death reign

ver the fallen race of Adam, but every human being born in the likeness of the first Adam is of the "

rth, earthy ", and is dominated by the flesh instead of the spirit; the soul, which is the personality o

mself " (see Luke 9: 23) a slave of the flesh and the earthly life, instead of being a handmaid of theirit.

hus the condition of the unregenerate man is now (I) his human spirit severed from God, fallen and

ienated from His life (Ephesians 4: 18) " without God ", separate from Christ (Ephesians 2: I2), and

capable of fellowship with Him; (2) the soul-intellect, mind, will, self-consciousness may rule over

ody, or (3) the body in its desires and appetites may be enslaving and dominating the soul. But whil

uman spirit is thus " dead " to God, and in darkness, it remains as full of activity as mind or body. In

me instances the spirit part of the unregenerate man may be so large in its capacity that even in its

ndition, it dominates the soul and body. Then the man may be said to be " spiritual ", in the sense oossessing more " spirit " than others, who are mainly soulish or fleshly. These are the ones who seek

tercourse with the spirit-world apart from the Holy Spirit of God, and become " mediums ", capabl

ercising " occult powers ", such as clairvoyance, etc., bestowed upon them by satanic means, for un

e human spirit of a man is regenerated and indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God, it is in accord with th

llen spirits of Satan, and governed by the prince of the power of the air, the spirit which now works

e children of disobedience (Ephesians 2: 2, 3).

e see, therefore, that the fallen spirit of man-bereft of God at the Fall-sank down, so to speak, into

ssel of the " soul "; and the " soul " again sank down into the fleshly body, under, what Paul thepostle calls, " the power of the flesh ", so that in the unconverted " the soul, manifested sometimes

tellectuality, some times in sensuality, often in both, reigns over them with undisputed sway. This i

hat Jude wishes to set forth in his 19th verse, which should be rendered, ' These be they who separa

en governed by soul, not having spirit. .

ausset very clearly brings out this in his commentary on this passage, for he writes, " In the three-fo

vision of man's being ... the due state in God's design is that ` the spirit' . . . should be first, and sho



6/55


le the soul, which stands intermediate between body and spirit, but in the ... natural man, the spirit

nk into subserviency to the animal-soul, which is earthly in its motives and aims. The ' carnal' sink

mewhat lower, for in these the flesh, the lowest element ... reigns paramount ".

regeneration it is the darkened and fallen " spirit of man, which is quickened again and renewed ".

his is the meaning of the Lord's words to the " Master in Israel ", to whom He said, in spite of all th

new in intellectual religious knowledge, " Ye must be born FROM ABOVE " (John 3:3, also margin

7), and later on to His disciples, " It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing " (John63).

he way that the new life from above reaches the fallen spirit of man is shown in the Lord's words. "

pirit breatheth where [He] listeth ... so is every one that is born of the Spirit " (John 3:8 R. V. m.); a

e cause of the Spirit of God quickening the spirit into new life, is given in John 3:14 as the death of

od-Man upon the Cross in the place of the sinner, that "whosoever believeth into (lit. Greek) Him

ould not perish, but have eternal life."

he Cross and the Fall exactly and perfectly correspond -the one as the remedy for the other. First byath, of the Saviour on the Cross, the sin had to be put away, and the way made possible for the Hol

od to pardon the sinner, and secondly the sinner must be given a way of escape from the bondage o

ul and body into which he had fallen. The tripartite nature of man could then be again adjusted, wi

e spirit once more in domination, and the body acting merely as the outward and material vessel-th

strument of the spirit through the soul.

his way of escape is made clear in many parts of Scripture where we are shown the death of the sinn

ith the Saviour. Its mode of application for deliverance we shall see later on, as we consider the full

eaning ofthe Cross.

Table ofs Contents Chapter 2



7/55


CHAPTER 2

HE "CARNAL" CHRISTIAN

And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, as unto babes in Chr

Corinthians 3:1 R.V.).

et us repeat again at this point, that the " soul " is the seat of the self-consciousness (the personality

ill, the intellect), and stands between the spirit-the seat of the God-consciousness; and the body (the

at of the sense), or world-consciousness. Gall says that the " soul " derives its life, or animating pow

om either the spirit (the higher part), or the animal (or lower part). In Latin the word for " soul " is

ima-the animating principle of the body.

the converted man i.e., one who has had his spirit regenerated, or quickened into life by the Spirit

od communicating life to the fallen spirit-the soul is dominated either from beneath, by the animal-

from above by the spirit life. It may be said, therefore, that there are three classes of Christians, * a

ese three classes of believers are clearly referred to in the Scriptures as(I) The spiritual man-domin

y the Spirit of God, indwelling and energizing his renewed human spirit. (2) The soulish man-

ominated by the soul, i.e., by the intellect or emotions.(3) The carnal man-dominated by the flesh, in

eshly habits or desires, i.e., " the power of the flesh ".

he word used in I Corinthians 3:1 is not psuche--soul; but sarkikos-fleshly, the adjective of the wor

omans 8: 7, where it is written, that the " carnal (sarx) mind is enmity against God ". It is not said th

e " psuche ", or soulish life, is enmity to God, but the fleshly mind. It is true that the natural, or "so

man, cannot receive, or understand, the things of the Spirit (I Cor.2:14), but he is not said to be in

mity, simply because he is soulish ! " And I (i.e., as the natural man-' man of soul', Gk.-cannot rece

I, also) could not speak unto you, the deep things of God, as I would to the spiritual; but I was

mpelled to speak to you as I would to men of flesh," * wrote Paul, in effect, to the Corinthians, for

though truly regenerate and " in Christ " yet they were so dominated by the flesh that he could only

scribe them as still " carnal " or fleshly. This was proved by the manifestation of the works of the f

jealousy and strife, for he writes to the Galatians, " the works of the flesh are manifest, which are

ese, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousies, wraths,

ctions, divisions, heresies, envyings, drunkenness, revellings, and such like "(Gal. 5: I9-2I). Any of

ese manifestations seen in a believer mark the workings, in some degree, of the "sarkikos " or flesh

e, passing out through the avenues of the soul, or personality, in jealousy or strife, etc. Such a one

ot even a "soulish " man i.e., merely " natural "but a man walking " after the flesh ", even though hi

irit may be revivified, and quickened into life; and those who are thus walking " in the flesh ", cann

ease God.

he Apostle's description of these Corinthian believers as being " carnal " or fleshly, and yet " babes

hrist ", shows clearly that " babes in Christ " are generally under the domination of the flesh-or " in



8/55


esh "-at the initial stage of the spiritual life. In their regeneration they are truly " in Christ "i.e., vita

uickened with His life, and planted into Him by His Spirit, as it is written in John 3:16, " that whoso

lieveth into Him may have everlasting life " (Greek) ; but these " babes in Christ ", vitally in Him b

ving faith, have not yet apprehended all that the Cross severs them from by their being baptized into

ath on the Cross, and quickened by His life.

appears from the Apostle's language that he blames these Corinthians for being still " babes ", for t

bestage ought not to be of very long duration. (Compare Hebrews 5:11-14) The regeneration of theirit, which comes through the in-breathing of the Spirit of life from God, on the man's simple faith

e atoning sacrifice of the Son of God upon the Cross in his behalf, should be quickly followed by th

prehension of the death of the sinner with the Saviour (Romans 6: 1-13), which brings about the

liverance from the life after the " flesh " which the Corinthian Christians had manifestly not yet

nown.

he marks of the carnal Christian, babes in Christ, the Apostle sketches very clearly, and by these ma

ery believer of the present time can judge for himself whether he, too, is "yet carnal". This leads us

nsider at this point:

he Deliverance of the Cross

They that are of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh " (Galatians 5:24, R.V.). These are the words

hichthe Apostle ends his description of the " works of the flesh " in his letter to the Galatians, as he

ntrasts the " fruit of the Spirit " which the " spiritual " man-the man in whom the spirit, indwelt by

oly Spirit, rules -should bring forth in his life.

he " babes in Christ " who are " yet carnal " need a fuller apprehension of the meaning of the Cross

the purpose of God the death of Christ meant that the " old man " was crucified with Him, so that

ey that are of Christ have crucified the flesh " with all its affections and desires. The same Cross th

as revealed to the unregenerate man as the place where sin was atoned for, and his burden of sin

moved by the blood of the Lamb, is the place where the " carnal " Christian, who may be a " babe "

hrist, even though regenerate for many years, must obtain deliverance from the domination of the f

that he may walk after the spirit, and not "after the flesh", and thus in due season become " spiritu

d a full-grown man in Christ.

OMANS 6 IS THE MAGNA CHARTA OF LIBERTY THROUGH THE CROSS OF CHRIST, wh

e babe in Christ needs to know, for it most clearly sets forth the basis of deliverance, to which only

ief reference is made in Galatians 5:24, and other passages.

nly by an appropriation of death with Christ, with the putting to death of the " doings " of the body

Romans 8:13, R. V. m.; Colossians 3:5) can the believer live, and walk, and act in and by the Spirit,

us become a spiritual man. " When we were ` in the flesh' the passions of sin ... wrought in our

embers to bring forth fruit unto death," wrote Paul to the Romans, " but now we have been discharg



9/55


om the law, having died. .. " (Romans 7:5,6, R. V. m.).

In the likeness of sinful flesh " (Romans 8:3), the pure and holy Son of God hung upon the tree, an

fering for sin ", and because He died for sin, and to sin in the place of the sinner, God thus has

ndemned for ever a life of " sin in the flesh " in all who are truly united to His Son. The believer liv

the flesh " (2 Corinthians 10:3) it is true, in that he is still in his physical body, but once he sees Go

wn Son in the " likeness of sinful flesh " hanging upon the tree, and knows that in Him he died to si

om that hour he lives " in the flesh " (Galatians 2:20) as far as the physical body is concerned, but hoes not WALK any longer " after the flesh "that is, according to the demands and desires of his bod

ut " after the spirit "-that is, according to his renewed spirit indwelt by the Spirit of God. (Cf. Roma

5,6)

ased upon the work of the Son of God on the Cross of Calvary, in which the sinner for whom He di

asidentified with the Substitute who died for him, the redeemed and regenerate believer is called to

ckon ", or account himself " dead to sin ", because " our old man was crucified with Him ". The Ho

pirit of God dwelling in his spirit can then carry out to its ultimate issue the Divine purpose that the

ody of sin "-i.e., the whole continent of sin in the whole of fallen man may be " destroyed " orolished,* as the man on his part steadily and faithfully refuses to " let sin reign " (Romans 6:6,11,1

is as the " babe in Christ " knows this that the " flesh " ceases to dominate, and have control, and h

ses in spirit into real union with the Ascended Lord-alive unto God in Christ Jesus.

he "babe in Christ" who apprehends this now knows the fuller meaning of being " Alive unto God "

d walking after the spirit, and by the Spirit, he ceases to fulfil the desires of the flesh, and hencefor

ves his spirit, indwelt by the Spirit of God, the domination of his entire being. It does not mean tha

ay not again lapse into the walk " after the flesh ", but as long as he gives his mind to the " things o

pirit ", and reckons himself continually " dead indeed unto sin ", he, " by the Spirit ", steadfastly "akes to die " the " doings of the body" (Romans 8:13, R. V. m.), and walks in newness of life.

" The word destroyed in the A.V. is rendered ` done away' by Alford, and 'annulled' by Darby. In

omans 3:3, it is translated ` make without effect'; in Romans 3:31, `make void'; in Romans 4:14, `m

none effect'; in Romans 7:2, ` loosed';in Romans 7:6, 'delivered'. Whatever its best translation in

omans 6:6, it is plain that it signifies

at `the body of sin ' is to CEASE TO HAVE ANY POWER TO BRING THE BELIEVER INTO

ONDAGE TO SIN .. . "-W.R.N.

he root word means to " leave unemployed, to make barren, void, useless ". Therefore the actual "

olishing " of the " body of sin "which includes practically all that we receive by nature in the first

damcan only reach its ultimate experimentally when the " body of our humiliation " is " conformed

e body of His glory " at the coming of the Lord from heaven (Philippians 3:21).

hapter 1 Table of Contents Chapter 3



10/55


CHAPTER 3

HE "MAN OF SOUL"

The 'natural' man [' man of soul '] receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God . . . because they are

iritually

scerned" (I Corinthians 2:14, lit)

HRISTIANS who have arrived at the stage of knowledge of the Cross where they cease to walk " a

e flesh ", think that they are now "spiritual" believers, entirely renewed and led by the Spirit of God

ut then comes the most important lesson, says Dr. Andrew Murray-the lesson concerning the dange

e " inordinate activity of the soul, with its power of mind and will the "greatest danger" which the

Church, or individual, has to dread".(* Dr. Andrew Murray. Note in Appendix to The Spirit of Chri

he believer who has been quickened in spirit, is born of the Spirit and the Spirit of God dwells in hi

irit. He has had the revelation of the Cross which has shown him the way of victory over the life af

e flesh and he now walks in newness of life and victory over sin as manifested in the "works of the

esh". But at this stage the question must be asked: What about the "soul" the man himself in his

rsonality and intellectual or emotional activities. Which power is animating the actions of the man

mself apart from the "works of the flesh"? Is he animated and governed by (I) the spirit life which

mes from above-from the Risen Lord as the Last Adam, the Life-giving Spirit, or (2) by the life wh

mes from the lower realm-the fallen life of the first Adam ?

e have already pointed out the error of the prevailing idea, that when the believer has apprehended

ath with Christ to SIN, and ceases to walk habitually "after the flesh", he becomes a "spiritual man

d is "entirely sanctified!" But to be delivered from the domination of the flesh, or carnal life, does

ean that he ceases to be " soul-ish" or ceases to walk after the life of nature; for the "death to sin", a

ucifixion of the "flesh", is only one stage of the work of the Spirit of God to be done in the redeeme

an. He may cease to be "sarkiko" or fleshly, and still be "physical" -or "soul-ish", i.e., living in the

alm of the soul, instead of the spirit, or God-conscious sphere.

o understand this clearly, we must consider what are the evidences of the Christian being "soulish",

hen he ceases to be "carnal" or living "after the flesh".

he soul, we have seen, includes intellect, and emotions, as well as the central personality which mak

the seat of the self-consciousness. The believer may be entirely freed from the manifest "works of t

esh" as described in Galatians 5:19-21, whilst his intellect and emotions are still moved by the

suche", or " animal-soul" life-i.e., they are not yet renewed and fully animated by the Holy Spirit

orking through the regenerated human spirit. The soulish Christian is therefore one whose intellect

motions are still governed by the first Adam life and not by the Life-giving Spirit of Christ (see I



11/55


orinthians 15: 45) bringing the intellect and emotions under full control as the believer walks after t

irit, i.e., The Holy Spirit may dwell in his spirit, and enable him to " make to die the deeds of the b

whilst his intellect and emotions are still "soulish".

we take, for instance, the question of the intellectual life, a passage in the Epistle of James very cle

ows the distinction between the heavenly, and the soulish or natural-wisdom. The Apostle writes th

e wisdom which is not "from above" is (I) earthly(2) soulish (psychikos. The R.V. m. gives "natura

nimal" i.e. pertaining to the soul; (3) demoniacal (R.V. m.)and produces jealousy and faction, divisd partisanship. Whilst the wisdom which is from above, that is from the Spirit of God dwelling in t

irit of man, is characterised by purity, peaceableness, gentleness, mercy and good fruits and so part

the Divine character that it is without partiality (James 3:17) The pure heavenly wisdom is withou

ement of the soulish life-the place of self-consciousness, self-opinions, and self-views and therefor

uses peace instead of strife and envy. The third statement of the soulish wisdom being "demoniaca

ill be dealt with in another connection.

the light of the passage in James, how clearly we can see the condition of the Church of God, and

has split up into sections and "parties". Often, alas, the "works of the flesh" in jealousy and strife are causes of "factions, divisions, parties " (Galatians 5: 19, 20)in the assemblies of God's professing

ople, but there is another cause of disunion in the professing Church where the soulish intellect is t

parating factor. We see soulish "wisdom" so handling Divine truths, as to facilitate the work of dem

fostering division among the followers of Christ.

ember remarks that the "intellect is not merely fallible, but the most dangerous of all gifts, unless it

uided by the Spirit of God " and yet among Christians it is relied upon for the grasping of Divine tru

d for the understanding of spiritual verities, whilst the Scripture declares that the "soulish" man-an

is includes even the believer in so far as he is "soul-ish"-cannot receive " the things of the Spirit,cause they can be only spiritually discerned.

gain, it is the soulish element in teachers and professors of holiness, which is often the cause of

paration and disunion. There may be, it is true, love in the heart to those who "differ" but the

ifferences" divide nevertheless, because the demoniacal powers, able to work upon the soulish elem

the believer, always emphasise or exaggerate the differences in "views of truth" instead of magnify

e points of union, and even drive eager believers to "fight" for their view of truth, under the name o

witnessing for God". Devoted believers, alas, think they are seeking the blessing of others,whilst

nknowingly doing the same as the Pharisees in compassing "sea and land to make one proselyte . . .Matthew 23:15).

is also the soulish element in Christians which insists upon the minute correspondence of others to

iews of truth" and "tithe mint and anise and cummin " in words whilst leaving "undone the weighti

atters of the law" which in the gospel dispensation is the law of Christ and places love and the unity

e Spirit between believers as the condition of their growth into "unity of the faith" (Ephesians 4: 3,



12/55


brief, the soul-life, influenced by evil supernatural powers, is the main cause of divisions and

parations among the professing and even the true children of God. "These be they who separate, m

overned by soul ..." writes Jude (5:19). " Separate themselves" is the A.V. and "make separations" t

V. text. "Arrogant setting up of themselves, as having greater sanctity and a wisdom and peculiar

octrine, distinct from others is implied," writes Fausset in his commentary. Fausset also translates th

ords, "sensual" of the A.V. and R.V. text in this passage, as literally "animal-souled".

eparate themselves " as " having greater sanctity ", is always a mark of the soulish life, for the Lordsus said, " Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you ... for the So

an's sake" (Luke 6:22, R.V.). The Apostle Paul also said in answer to a question about separation,

ch man abide in that calling wherein he is called ", and therein " abide with God ". God Himself wi

parate " those who walk in light, and those who abide in darkness, by His Presence as the Light, an

ten the one who elects to walk in the " darkness " will either cast out the one abiding in the light, or

mself be brought into the light. Men can be " governed by soul ", even when they have the Holy Sp

d these soulish ones always " separate themselves ", and " make separations ", proving that in som

gree they are " soulish ", and not " spiritual ".

he other department of the soul-life is the emotional, which proceeds from the senses of the body; a

re again a Christian may be swayed by the soulish, and think it all " spiritual ". Pember says that a

nowledge of Biblical psychology dissipates the idea that any holy spiritual influence can be set in

otion by appeals to the senses ". Yet the reaching of the spirit through the senses is the purpose of m

hurch services, and even mission meetings where the Gospel is proclaimed. Pember's words on this

bject are illuminating. He says, " splendid buildings, gorgeous vestments, and picturesque rites for

e, with sweet odours for the scent, and ravishing music for the ear, although they may bewitch one

nsciousness with the most agreeable sensations, can penetrate only as far as the soul ... [yet] our sp

oes not receive its impressions from the senses, but only from spirit...." *( Pember's Earth's Earliestges) He points out also that the order of our being from God's point of view, is spirit, soul, body,

cause " God's influence commences in the spirit, then lays hold of the emotions and the intellect, a

stly begins to curb the body ". From the standpoint of Satan it is reversed. We have (I) earthly, (2)

ulish, (3) demoniacal, (James 3:15) because Satan's influence enters by the clay made body; then s

pon the soul; and, whenever possible, gains entrance to the spirit.

ow solemn are the facts herein set forth. How clearly they show why the churches are filled with

ominalworshippers of Christ, who show no marks of a true Christianlife within them ! How sad it is

e very presence of these worshippers shows that within the spirit they have an unconscious cry afteod, which in thousands of cases is never satisfied, for their soul-life alone is met, either in its

tellectual department by intellectual soul-ish presentation of the letter of the truth; or their sense-lif

atified by soothing music and the calming influences of the hour of quiet, without their being led in

al worship of God in spirit and in truth which alone is acceptable to Him.

re all these influences to be depreciated? God forbid. But they will not save the "soul"! They may,

o, prepare the way by bringing the person within reach of the truth which is read from the Scripture

ot preached in the pulpit, and all these outer things that make for righteousness have their value and



13/55


ace.

ut-and this is the serious danger-influences that PENETRATE ONLY TO THE SOUL and do not r

e spirit in regenerating power are deceptive and give the person a "form of godliness without the

ower" and bring the spiritual religion of Jesus Christ down to the level of heathen philosophies and

lts. Hence "religious" men who are merely "men of soul" place the Son of God on an equality with

ahomet and Confucius and discuss Christianity as "one of the religions" of the world, instead of me

ing compelled to see, as in the days of the early Church at Pentecost, the Omnipotent power of Goaring witness to the Name of His Son as the only Saviour for a lost world.

gain in mission work the appeal to the senses and emotions of the soul accounts for the large

rcentage of converts who do not stand and the evanescent influence of much evangelistic mission

ork; as well as in many instances the excessive exhaustion of the worker, and oft-times his eventua

reakdown". A correspondent writes: "Is it not the exercise of the soulish, or natural man--the glow

eling, emotion and energy in speaking to others publicly or privately that cause nerve exhaustion? A

it not possible for the Spirit to quicken the truth without the strain or wear and tear of the body? To

ut God's truth with no `excitement' and for God to breathe out His power in the words you speak, norough you so much as through your testimony, after it leaves your lips and enters into the minds of

hers? It does seem as if it could be done and with far less fatigue if my surmise be true."

man may have naturally a "fiery" soul and by that fiery soul sway and move the soul-emotions of

hers, but their faith then stands in the influence or wisdom of the man they have listened to and not

e power of God. We can now see what Dr. Andrew Murray means when he says that the greatest

nger which the Church or individual has to dread is the "inordinate activity of the soul with its pow

mind and will ". The old Quakers used to cal this "creaturely activity: and it is manifestly the ener

e creature being used in the service of God rather than the creature seeking in spirit to co-operate we Holy Spirit given to him as the Gift of the Risen Son of God.

e find the intellectual man, with his spirit yet unquickened, dealing with the eternal destinies of

mmortal souls; and the strong-willed man exercising his will and dominant personality over the

nsciences and lives of others! Schemes, therefore, to reach men and bring them to God, by smokin

ncerts, musical attractions, lectures on popular subjects, etc., are but the outcome of various types

oul" in men who desire to help others. Such men may be regenerated, but "governed by soul" and n

nowing the Spirit of God dwelling in the spirit to energise them by His indwelling power and use th

messengers of God in the salvation of men.

ut there is another section of the Christian Church and a much smaller company who, knowing the

pirit of God indwelling them, are "soulish" in a much lesser degree. These are they who have a mix

"soul and spirit" in their religious experiences and are not satisfied unless they feel the presence of

od continually with them in the realm of their self-consciousness. Consequently although the Holy

pirit dwells in them, they often fall into the realm of the soulish-life because they do not understand

irit life and the actions of the human spirit in co-action with God.



14/55


he "soul" not only comprises the intellect and the emotions, but from the Scriptures it can be seen th

e soul is the seat of the personality in its affections, power of joy or grief, etc. Thus it is written: "M

ul is exceeding sorrowful ... " (Matthew 26: 38). "My soul doth magnify the Lord " (Luke 1: 46); "

my soul troubled . . . " (John12: 27); "In patience possess ye your souls" (Luke 21:. 19); " Vexed h

ghteous soul"(2 Peter 2: 8); "Beguiling unstable souls" (2 Peter 2:I4). It is therefore clear that the

iosyncrasies of the individual exist in the soul as well as in the physical disposition of the body. An

is shape of the soul, if we may use the expression, in its capacity for joy, love, grief, patience, etc. m

filled with a spiritual joy from the Spirit-life of the Second Adam, poured out into the vessel of th

ul; or filled with a soulish-or sensuous joy, moving into the vessel of the soul from the lower life o

rst Adam. In the latter case the believer, although indwelt by the Holy Spirit, is "soulish " to the de

which the animal-soul-life has play in the realm of these various capacities of the soul. He may cli

a soul-ish joy and live in the realm of his feelings; in the seat of his self-consciousness and not in t

irit, the place of the God consciousness; and thus be among those believers who are always seeking

iritual "experiences " in the sense consciousness, instead of in the purity of the God-conscious real

one-the regenerated human spirit.

t this point let us see how the spirits of evil work upon the soul-ish life in all its phases. The soul an

e "powers of darkness" If in your hearts you have bitter feelings of envy and rivalry, do not speak

oastingly and falsely in defiance of the truth. That is not the wisdom which comes down from above

longs to earth, to the un-spiritual nature (Greek, psychical) and to evil spirits" (James 3:14.15

eymouth).

the R.V., as we have seen, the text runs, "This wisdom is not a wisdom that cometh down from ab

ut is earthly, sensual (i.e., natural-the literal Greek is pertaining to the soul') devilish (margin of R.V

moniacal)". This passage we have already referred to, but quote it again as showing conclusively th

lationship of the forces of evil to the animal-soul-life. We have not here any reference to the "work

e flesh" but to man's intellectual department-i.e., the soul and the words of the text show that evil sp

ork upon the soulish part of the man, as certainly as thy do upon his fleshly nature.

is startling to see the truth put so bluntly and to know that all bitter feelings of envy and rivalry in

nnection with the gaining or possession of knowledge are instigated by evil spirits working upon th

ul-ish life and have their origin-as Fausset writes-in hell.

his is very little understood by many true children of God. They may acknowledge satanic influenc

e matter of gross sin and the manifestation of the "works of the flesh ", but not in the realm of what

ey consider the highest part of the civilisation of to-day. Back of this lies the unwillingness to recog

atements of the Word of God concerning the Fall and the utter sinking of the entire first creation in

rruption and death, so that even the "imagination " of the "thoughts of his heart "-i.e., mental

nceptions-was seen by God to be "evil continually "; and back of this total corruption again lies the

oison of the serpent, who obtained entrance through the avenue of the desire for wisdom.

the progress of the renewal of the redeemed man it is to the interest of the forces of evil that any



15/55


ement of the fallen life whether fleshly or soulish, should be kept active, for as the believer become

piritual" , he more and more is united in actual spirit-union with the Lord of Glory and hence more

ore escapes the power of evil spirits and becomes equipped to recognize them and war against them

ut it must first be recognised clearly that the "Fall" was the result of believing the lie of Satan, the f

changel and that when Satan succeeded, there entered the race of fallen man a poison which runs

rough every element of his being. This gives Satan power of access to every part of his tri-partite

ture, i.e. (a) the fallen spirit, dead to God, is open to the hellish dark world of spirits ruled over by

ince of Darkness; (b) the soul, including the intellect, imagination, thought, will and affections isoverned by the life of the first Adam, which is fallen and corrupt, and (c) body and soul is therefore

pen in every department to the power of the Poisoner. Consequently, the Apostle John declares with

unt language that the " whole world lieth in the evil one"(1 John 5:19)

he fallen man not only has to be redeemed by the life-blood of the Son of God, but he has to be actu

anslated out of the power of darkness into the Kingdom of God's Son and every department of his

ing,beginning with his spirit, ACTUALLY RENEWED stage by stage by deliverance from the pow

sin and the animal-soul-life. If the first creation was "fearfully and wonderfully made", then in trut

e re-creation of the creature utterly sunk into the animal-soul and the animal flesh, and lifted again e realm of spirit to have spirit-dominion over soul and body, is a wondrous work, which only the

iune God could accomplish; the Father giving the Son, the Son giving His life and the Divine Spiri

ving Himself with patience and love to work out the will of the Trinity.

hat the Prince of Darkness resists every step of the man's deliverance out of his thraldom is easy to

nderstand and it is necessary that we should know clearly the elements in the fallen creation which

pen to his power. That he fully controls the unregenerate man is clearly shown in Ephesians 2: 2, w

e Apostle says that the " children of wrath " doing "the desires of the flesh and of the thoughts " (i.e

ul-ish life), are wholly dominated by him. Then, when the spirit of the man has been quickened inte and he has been delivered from the power of sin, the soul-ish life and elements in the physical bo

e open to evil powers. For example(I) First in the soul-ish life, the soulish wisdom becomes

emoniacal" when evil spirits use it to accomplish their plans, e.g., the enemy can arouse a mental

ejudice, or pre-conceived idea-unknown to the man and use it at a critical moment to frustrate the w

the Spirit of God. This working of the enemy through the mind of a believer, when the heart and s

ay be true to God, is a most serious fact in the Church of God to-day, for through the various "idea

ood men, the Spirit of God is sometimes hindered even more than through the unbelief and hatred o

orld. And again, in the realm of the emotional-soul-life, the adversary can so rouse the life of natur

at the deep work of the Spirit of God is quenched or checked, and His voice unheard.(2) In the phyody, the adversary can work upon the nervous system and use the animal magnetism which is inher

every human frame, as well as many other elements open to the powers of evil, in addition to "the

orks of the flesh" and what is generally called sin. These elements are in the very "make-up" of the

uman vessel and on the part of the believer there should be a keen seeking of light from God on his

mplex being, that he may understand himself, and know how to act and walk in humble dependenc

pon the Risen Lord for protection from the evil one-a protection which can only operate as the man

oks to the blood of Jesus and in implicit obedience to the written Word, keeps himself open to all tr

hich will give him light upon any possible ground he may have given to the spirits of evil to attack,



16/55


in admittance to mind or body.

or the powers of darkness are keenly clever in working alongside of, or simulating "natural" conditi

ther in temperament or disturbance of the bodily functions, or frame and they watch for some physi

mental ailment to serve as the cover, or as an "excuse" for their workings. ( For full elucidation of

pect of truth, see War on the Saints, a text book on the work of deceiving spirits among the childre

od.)* i.e., the attack may be in the natural and physical realm, but not from it as the source.




17/55


Chapter 4

OW "SOUL" AND "SPIRIT" ARE DIVIDED

The word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword and piercing even to th

viding of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and quick to discern the thoughts and intents o

art ... "(Hebrews 4:12, R.V.).

his remarkable passage in Hebrews 4:12 clearly sets forth the distinction between soul and spirit, th

ed of the "dividing " of one from the other and the means whereby this is done, so that the believer

ay become a truly " spiritual " man, living "according to 'God in the spirit" (I Peter 4:6). Pember po

ut, in regard to this passage, that here the Apostle "claims for The Word of God, the power of separ

d, as it were, taking to pieces, the whole being of man, spiritual, psychic, soulish and corporeal eve

e priest flayed and divided limb from limb the animal for the burnt offering...."

ausset writes, "the Word of God is 'living' and powerful 'energetically efficacious (Greek)' reaching

rough even to the separation of the animal-soul from the spirit,the higher part of man '"; "piercing e

the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow .. . distinguishing what is spiritual from w

carnal and animal in him; the spirit from the soul ". " The Word of God divides the closely joined p

man's immaterial being, soul and spirit...." An image taken from the "literal dividing of joints and

netrating to so as to open out) the marrow by the priest's knife."

hese words show how suggestive and full of teaching, the whole passage to the believer whose eyes

pened to the danger of the soul-life dominating him, instead of the Spirit of God acting freely from

rine of his spirit.

he question at once arises in a believer who desires to be a spiritual man-" What am I to do? How c

scern what is soulish in my walk and service? " The text we are considering shows that we are to y

urselves to our High Priest Who has "passed into the heavens" and He, before Whom "all things are

ked and laid open" (Hebrews 4:13), will exercise His office of Priest and wield the sharp two-edge

nife of His Word, piercing to the dividing of soul and spirit within us, discerning even the "thoughts

tents of the heart". The "Greek for ` thoughts ' refers to the mind and feelings, and the word ` intent

rather ` mental conception ', refers to the intellect ", again writes Fausset in his commentary.

he High Priest, Who Himself became Man, that He might be a "merciful and faithful High Priest"

Hebrews 2:17, R.V.) able to sympathise and touched with the very feeling of our physical and mora

eakness (Hebrews 4:15, Greek), is the only One Who can take the sacrificial knife and patiently

ivide" the soulish life from its penetration into thoughts and feelings, the intellect and even mental

nceptions. What a work to be done! How can the animal-soul-life, penetrating the very " joints and

arrow" be tracked and dislodged so that the spirit indwelt by the Holy Spirit may dominate and eve

ought be brought into captivity to the obedience of Christ? Our High Priest will not fail nor be



18/55


scouraged in bringing forth victory out of judgment in all those who commit themselves to His han

d trust Him to wield the knife of His living Word by the Spirit of God.

ut what are the steps? What is man's part? How is the believer to co-operate with the High Priest in

eat and delicate work?

) By definite surrender of the whole man as a burnt sacrifice laid upon the altar of the Cross, with th

tire consent of the will irrevocably given that the High Priest, Christ Jesus, should by His Spirit brie entire being into conformity to His death (Philippians 3:10) i.e., that He should never stay His ha

ntil the animal-soulish life is " divided" from the "spirit", so that the man may become a vessel into

hich and through which the inflow and outflow of the Spirit of God may flow freely from the shrin

e spirit.

) By continual, persistent, watchful prayer and searching the Scriptures, praying that the keen edge

e Word of God may be applied to all that is of the soulish life; the believer implicitly obeying the W

ght up to the light given, according to I Peter 1: 22, R.V., "Ye have purified your souls in your

bedience to the truth".

) By the daily taking of the Cross in the circumstances of life so that the believer has the entire vict

ver sin and the "works of the flesh", whilst the Spirit of God is doing the more minute work of

parating the spirit from the soul and teaching the believer how to walk after the spirit.

ow the separation between soul and spirit is carried out in those who thus lay themselves upon the a

he Cross) and trust the Heavenly High Priest to use the sword of His Word as a knife to do the work

em we see in the calls to the Cross given by the Lord Jesus to His disciples when He walked the ea

man.

The Cross and the soul affections "He that doth not take his Cross and follow after Me, is not worth

e. He that findeth his life (psuche, soul-life)shall lose it: and he that loseth his life (psuche, soul-lif

y sake shall find it" (Matthew 10:38,39, R.V. and margin).

his passage occurs in the charge given to the twelve when the Lord sent them forth in His Name. H

arns them that a

man's foes shall be those of his own household" and shows that their first following Him in the path

e Cross will mean a "sword" in their family life, when the claims of Christ and the family are not in

cord. The " sword " to divide the soulish and the spiritual in the affections generally comes in a cla

tween the known will of God and the will of the loved ones, which compels the believer to " take h

oss ", i.e., " go forth even to crucifixion "* and follow the Lord, even though it causes " variance "

ther or mother or the " own household ".

was so with Christ Himself. He Who had said, " Honour your father and your mother," had to say,



19/55


ho is My mother and My brethren? " when they judged Him to be " beside Himself ", as He was

cupied with His Father's business. The taking of the Cross in this way and the choosing to be obed

Christ before family claims, means to the natural affections such suffering that it is as a sword pier

e soul, so that in very truth the soul-life in the affections is " lost " and the purified vessel of the " s

the aspect of its affections becomes open to the inflow of the love of God by the Spirit, whereby th

liever loves the loved ones no longer for himself but for God and in and through God.

he lower life is exchanged for the higher, i.e., the " soul " in its personality and vessel-capacitymaining the same

soul ", but now dominated from the spirit by the Spirit of Christ-the Last Adam-and not by the flesh

ul-life of the First Adam (see I Corinthians 15:45-48).

Luke's Gospel the sword-effect of the Cross in connection with the soul's affections is more plainl

fined for the Lord uses the word " hate " and says, " if any man cometh unto Me and HATETH not

wn father and mother and wife and children and brethren and sisters, yea and his own life also, he

nnot be My disciple " (Luke 14: 26). Here again the word " life " is "psuche "-i.e., the animal or soe. Matthew gives the test for the will in its choice of God or the loved ones first, in the words " lov

ore than Me "; but Luke records the language used by the Lord which describes the ATTITUDE of

holly devoted follower of Christ to the soul-life in its permeating of the affections-an attitude which

cessary for their purification. Such a believer must " hate " his " own life (psuche) " in its penetrati

family relationships, so that he may have " soul " divided from " spirit " in this sphere, and, in the

ting " and " losing " of his soul-life, find the higher and purer love life of Christ permeate the close

mily ties, ordained and honoured by God Himself through His Son in human form.

The Cross and soulish self-interest "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself .. . Forhosoever would save his life (R.V. m. soul) shall lose it and whosoever shall lose his life (soul) for

ke shall find it " (Matthew 16: 24-26). Later on Matthew again records a similar statement by the L

ut this time drawn forth by Peter's words to Him in regard to His own Cross. Peter had said, " Pity

hyself," but the Lord replies that the path of following Him meant " DENY HIMSELF ". Here is th

ul-life summed up in the word "himself ", when shown in self-centeredness in any form, i.e., self-p

lf interest, self-shrinking from suffering, in short, all that would make a man " save his life ", rather

an go forward in Divine strength to pour out his " soul " unto death for others.

he choosing of the path of the Cross for Christ's sake means the " losing " of the fleshly soul-life, to

ve the pure Divine life of Christ in its capacity for sacrifice " found " and poured out through the s

ssel for the blessing of the world.

he Evangelist Mark repeats again the words as given in Matthew's Gospel (Mark 8:34-36), and Luk

oes the same with the addition of the word " daily ", showing that the Cross in connection with the o

ouring and sacrifice of the soul-life needs to be of daily choice and efficacy and is a distinctly differ

pect of the Cross to that given in Romans 6, and the other Epistles, where the death of the old creat



20/55


to be apprehended as a COMPLETED FACT, made true as the believer " reckons " himself " dead

deed unto sin " and " alive unto God in Christ Jesus ".

The Cross and soulish grasping of earthly things "Remember Lot's wife. Whosoever shall seek to g

s life (soul) shall lose it but whosoever shall lose his life (soul) shall save it alive" (Luke 17:32,33,

.).

ere we find again the same emphatic words repeated by the Lord in connection with self-interest ane natural instinct of self-preservation and self-grasping of earthly possessions. " Remember Lot's w

ys the Lord Jesus, as He points out the natural tendency of the soul-life to turn back in the hour of

nger to save the " goods ", and not to let them go.

he law of gaining the higher spirit-life is to " lose " so as to " gain ". The soulish-life seeks earthly

easures, but these must be renounced and the " dividing of soul and spirit " in this connection will c

out again by the attitude of the believer when in the vicissitudes of life the test comes. " They took

yfully the spoiling of their goods," is written of some in days of trial (Hebrews 10: 34) This attitude

possessions " is sometimes a greater manifestation of Divine grace than the sacrifice of life.

he renouncing of the soul-life in its innate clinging to the things of earth is a necessity for the " gain

of the Spirit-life of Christ, which, pouring into the vessel of the soul from the spirit, as the seat of th

od-consciousness, brings with it such an assurance of abundance in God that earth's treasures are he

ghtly and are easily forsaken in the times of testing which come to all men.

he undue absorption of the children of God in " house " and " goods " to the neglect of the Kingdom

od, is manifestly an aspect of the " soul " and not the spirit-life and this clinging, or over-occupatio

ith the necessary affairs of earth, needs the knife-work of the Great High Priest in the " dividing of

d spirit ", so that the affections of His blood-bought ones may be set on things above, in fulfilment

e word : "for ye died and your life is hid with Christ in God" (Colossians 3: 1-4.).

The Cross and soulish self-love "He that loveth his life (soul) loseth it: and he that hateth his life

suche-soul-life) in this world shall keep it unto life (zoe-the higher life) eternal " (John 12:25, R.V.

ere we have the contrast between the soul-life and the higher life of the spirit manifested in and thro

e soul-personality, very clearly defined. The soul-life is now shown as summed up in SELF-LOVE

at "loveth his soul "-which simply means himself. We have seen the soul-life penetrating family

fections and manifested in self-pity, self-protection, self grasping of the goods of earth-in brief,

mmed up in " My family; Myself; My goods "-with self-love in and through all.

ll this, the Master says, means loss-eternal loss-for it all comes from the life derived from the First

dam, manifested through the personality of the soul, and prevents that " soul " being dominated by

irit and giving expression to the pure Divine life of the Last Adam -the Lord from heaven.



21/55


it " sin " to keep it? Yes, WHEN THE LIGHT COMES, AND WE SEE THE TRUTH. In a deeper

nse also it is sin although unknown sin-for all the life of the First Adam -i.e., the " natural man "-ha

en poisoned by sin and even in those who apprehend " death to sin " as set forth in Romans 6 and i

nsequence cease to " walk after the flesh " in manifestation of the " works of the flesh ", it penetrat

to the realm of the affections and shows itself in self-love, self-pity, self-grasping and other phases

lf-centredness. This must be called SIN, although in less discernible form, working through intellec

motions and affections.

he Pathway of Freedom

The love of Christ constraineth us because we thus judge that One died for all, therefore all died an

ed for all, that they which live should no longer live unto themselves,but unto Him ... " (2 Corinthi

14,15 R.V.).

he work of dividing soul and spirit is done by the Lord Himself, through His Spirit wielding the Wo

God, as a living, active " sword ", which penetrates to the inmost recesses of the immaterial being

an.

ut the MAN HIMSELF HAS HIS PART TO DO. The Spirit of God cannot carry out His work with

e believer's consent and co-working. Briefly summarised, the conditions of co-operation on the ma

de are as follows:

) The believer needs to see the necessity of the dividing of soul and spirit and as the sacrifice is laid

e altar, definitely consent to the work being done.

) The will of the believer must be steadily placed on God's side in the experimental working out of

dividing " as the circumstances of life require it.

)The basis of the Cross as set forth in Romans 6:1-14 must be steadily maintained. As the believer

ckons himself " dead indeed unto sin " (Romans 6:11)and actively carries out the command not to

ET SIN reign " in his mortal body, thus finding the "flesh" crucified with its " affections and lusts "

Galatians 5: 24), so must he now reckon himself dead indeed unto sin in its more subtle forms throu

e soul-life, i.e., the evil " self " conditions, such as inordinate self-love, self-pity, etc.

) The believer fulfilling these conditions must now carry out in practice his light, purpose and faith

eadily be faithful to all that he is shown by the Spirit of God, refusing deliberately all intrusion of th

ul life and choosing to open himself to the higher life of Christ in his spirit.

) The believer must seek in all things to " walk after the spirit "; to discern what is spirit and what i

ul, so as to follow the one and refuse the other; to understand the laws of the spirit so as to walk in

em and become in reality a



22/55


spiritual " man.

s the believer fulfils these conditions he becomes in truth a new man for the power of the Cross as t

word of the Spirit has been wielded by the hands of the heavenly High Priest, piercing to the dividin

ul and spirit; it has tracked the soul-life even to joints and marrow, to the inner recesses of the soul

e source of its activity and the very " marrow " of its affections; yes, it has even discerned the souli

e in mind and feelings; and in the very conceptions of the mental powers. Now the believer more a

ore joyfully and easily walks according to the written Word, and takes up the " Cross " as brought tar upon him daily in the providence of God. Apprehending with ever clearer vision the fact of his

ath with Christ upon the Cross, the spirit of the man is more and more divided from the soul and jo

essential union with the Risen Lord who is a Life-giving Spirit-so that he becomes " one spirit " w

im and his human spirit a channel for the outflow of the Spirit of Christ to a needy world.

" We have become so accustomed to the expression ' taking up one's Cross ' in the sense of being

epared for trials ... that we are apt to lose sight of its primary and proper sense here-a preparedness

o forth even to crucifixion "-Fausset.




23/55


CHAPTER 5

HE SPIRITUAL CHRISTIAN

neumatikos)

He that is spiritual (pneumatikos) judgeth all things "

Corinthians 2:15).

And the God of peace Himself sanctify you wholly: and may

our spirit (pneuma) and soul (psuche) and body (soma) be

eserved entire, without blame ... "

Thessalonians 5:23, R.V.).

this passage in Thessalonians we have, as it has already been observed, one of the only two which

nglish plainly declare the tripartite nature of man, also describing it in the due-and original-order. It

markable how frequently the order is changed by many children of God, in the quotation of this ver

hessalonians, as they pray that they may be " sanctified, body, soul and spirit ", showing that the min

nconsciously describes the true conditions of the fallen creation, until the believer is illuminated by t

pirit of God and the spirit is brought back to its place of control, in thought, as well as all the othertivities of the man.

he Apostle in his prayer for the Thessalonians gives comprehensively a picture of the " spiritual "

liever, for he could pray no less for any of his converts than that they should be sanctified wholly ; j

he wrote to the Colossians that he laboured that he might present every man " perfect " or " full-gro

n Christ-the word he used, denoting " grown to the ripeness of maturity ". " I pray God," he says, "

hole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless " (A.V.). The being " preserved blameless ", o

tire " follows the being " sanctified wholly ". And this briefly means:

) As regards the spirit: The Triune God, Who is Spirit, taking up His abode in the shrine of the spiri

e man, who is first quickened in spirit by the Holy Spirit through the redemptive work of the Son.

) As regards the soul: The Triune God dwelling in the spirit manifesting Himself through the vessel

e soul or personality-of the man, in (a) a will wholly one with the will of God, (b) an intellect renew

d illuminated by the Holy Spirit, and (c) emotions under the complete control and usage of the man

uided by that same Spirit.



24/55


) As regards the body: The Triune God abiding in the spirit, manifesting Himself through the avenu

e soul, keeping the body under complete mastery (I Corinthians 9:27), with every member yielding

uick obedience as a " weapon of righteousness " (Romans 6:13), thus making the outer man-the body

rily a sanctuary of the Holy Ghost (I Corinthians 6:19).

his is the " spiritual " believer, grown to the " ripeness of maturity "; sanctified wholly in spirit, soul

ody, and needing to be " preserved entire " and blameless-not faultless-by the God of Peace dwelling

e central shrine of his being.

ow the soulish man becomes spiritual

ut how, we may ask, does the believer pass from the "soulish " stage to become actually a " spiritual

an? " The ` spiritual' is the man distinguished above his fellowmen as he in whom the spirit rules,"

rites Fausset, and the " ruling of the spirit " does not only mean the Spirit of God ruling the carnal, o

e soulish man, but the regenerate spirit made stronger than soul and body, so that it rules over both

indwelt and strengthened by the Spirit of God, according to the prayer of Paul for the Ephesians, th

ey might be " strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man "-i.e., the regenerate humanspiishop Mottle).

he " spiritual man " is he who " walks after the spirit " and " minds " the spirit-the spirit being thus s

-working with the Holy Spirit, that the Life-giving Spirit of the Second Adam is able freely and full

imate the faculties of the soul-i.e., mind, imagination, reason, judgment-quicken the members of th

ody (Romans 8:2)and manifest through them His fullest and highest will.

or this to come about, the believer must not only apprehend the negative side of God's dealing as

picted in Hebrews 4:12-the dividing of " soul " from " spirit "-but the positive side depicted in Ihessalonians 5:23, as the God of Peace " sanctifying " the whole, by taking possession of and workin

rough the spirit, and seeing that the soul and body fulfil their proper functions.

He that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit " (I Corinthians 6:7), wrote the Apostle. " Ye also were

ade dead to the law through the body of Christ; that ye should be joined to another, even to Him Wh

as raised from the dead " (Romans 7: 4, R.V.). Here is set forth clearly the " joining " or union with

hrist in the spirit, which is the purpose and outcome of the work of the Cross. This union with the R

d Ascended Lord can be only in spirit, and EXPERIMENTALLY REALIZED as the SPIRIT OF T

ELIEVER IS SEPARATED FROM THE ENWRAPPING OF THE SOUL; for, as Stockmayerbserves, the Risen Lord cannot be said to be the Bridegroom of the soul; the soul-the personality of t

an-can only be the vessel through which the Lord manifests His own life, bringing forth, in union w

e believer's spirit, " fruit unto God ".

he " spiritual " man, therefore, is one in whom, through the dividing of soul and spirit by the Word o

od, the SPIRIT HAS BEEN FREED from the entanglement of the " soul ", or, as Bromley (who wro

1774.) says, raised out of its



25/55


mbrace" and joined to the Lord in union of essence-spirit with spirit-one spirit-so that the soul and b

ay serve as vehicles for the expression of the will, and life, and love of the Lord Himself through th

liever.

the light of this, the contrast between the " works " of the " flesh " and the "fruit " of the " Spirit ",

scribed in Galatians 5:18-24, is very striking. The " flesh " works, and works out to the surface its

pulsive manifestations; whilst in the man who knows the Romans 6 aspect of Calvary, the crucifixio

e flesh, and the dividing of soul from spirit by the Word of God, the spirit united to the Lord brings

rth FRUIT-spontaneous manifestations of life in the form of fruit; fruit manifested in and through th

ul (personality) in its various forms of love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithful

eekness, self-control.

he word " self-control " mentioned as one of the " fruits " of the Spirit, shows that the Spirit of God

e " self "-personality or " soul " of the man as His means of control. The personality, as meaning sel

ul-is therefore not to be destroyed or suppressed, but ennobled as it becomes a vehicle for expressin

e Spirit of Christ dwelling within. In brief, the " fruit of the Spirit ", in " love, joy, peace ", means lo

anifested through the " soul ", but derived from the Holy Spirit in the human spirit, instead of from ul-life.

here are many passages in the Scriptures describing the various " soul " faculties in activity, and

riving their animation from the spirit. We read of the being "fervent in spirit " (Romans 12:11); the

urposing in the spirit (Acts 19:21) ; the spirit of faith (2 Corinthians 4:13); love in the spirit (Colossi

8); all these spirit-activities being manifested through the avenue of the soul-the personality of the m

e " wisdom " through his mind; the "purposing " through his will; the " love " through his affectiona

rt; the "joy" through his emotional senses, but springing from the eternal depth of his spirit, and not

erely from his senses alone.

he laws of the spirit life

is at this stage that it is vitally important that the believer should know the laws of the spirit, and ho

alk after the spirit, lest he fail to co-operate with the Holy Spirit, and give opportunity to the deceivi

irits of Satan to ensnare him with counterfeits of the true spirit-life, produced in the soul-realm, whi

does not recognise as spurious, for their object is to draw him to walk unknowingly in the soul-sph

ain. The spiritual man-with his spirit liberated, or " divided " from the soul-is one who walks by, or

overned by the spirit, and not by his soul or body; but this does not mean that he cannot be entangled

e soul-life again, if, through ignorance of the laws of the spirit, he fails to let the spirit rule. He must

now how to discern what is from the spirit, the soul or the body in his experience; how to keep the sp

ee and open to the Spirit of God; and what condition of spirit is necessary for continuous co-operatio

ith the Holy Spirit. He needs to be able to recognise, and deal with the attacks of evil spirit-beings u

s spirit to hinder fellowship with God; or to press it down into the soul, paralysing its action and cau

ssivity of spirit. Failing this, they will seek to drive his spirit beyond a sober activity-the entire obje

ing to prevent or hinder continuous resistance of their attacks.



26/55


or walking after the spirit (I) the believer must know what is spirit, and how to give heed to the dem

the spirit, and not to quench it. A weight comes upon his spirit, but he goes on with his work, puttin

p with the pressure; he finds the work hard, but he has no time to investigate the cause, until at last th

eight becomes unendurable, and he is forced to stop and see what is the matter, whereas he should h

ven heed to the claims of the spirit at the first, and in a brief prayer taken the " weight " to God, refu

l pressure from the foe.

) He should be able to read his spirit, and know at once when it is out of co-operation with the Holy

pirit, quickly refusing all attacks which are drawing his spirit out of the poise of fellowship with God

) He should know when his spirit is touched by the poison of the spirits of evil; by the injection, for

stance, of sadness, soreness, complaint, grumbling, fault-finding, touchiness, bitterness, feeling hurt

alousy, etc.-all direct from the enemy to the spirit. He should resist all sadness, gloom, and grumblin

jected into his spirit, for the victory life of a freed spirit means joyfulness (Galatians 5:22). This

uching of the spirit by the various things just named is not the manifestation of the " works of the fl

when the believer is one who knows the life after the spirit; although they will quickly reach the sph

the flesh if not recognized, and dealt with in sharp refusal and resistance.

) He should know when his spirit is in the right position of dominance over soul and body, and yet n

iven beyond due measure by the exigencies of conflict or environment. There are three conditions o

irit which the believer should be able to discern and deal with, i.e.:

) The spirit depressed, crushed or " down ".

) The spirit in its right position, in poise and calm control.

) The spirit drawn out beyond " poise " when it is in strain, or driven.

hen the man walks after the spirit, and discerns any one of these conditions, he knows how to " lift

irit when it is depressed and how to check the over action by a quiet act of his volition, when it is dr

ut of poise by over-eagerness, or the drive of spiritual foes.

he human spirit may be likened to the electric light. If it is in contact with the Spirit of God it is full

ght; apart from Him it is darkness. Indwelt by Him " the spirit of man is the candle of the Lord "roverbs 20:27). The spirit may also be likened to elastic; when it is bound, or pressed, or weighted,

ases to act, or to be the source of power and " spring ", so to speak. If a man feels weighted, he shou

nd out what the weight is. If he is asked, " Is it your body ? " he would probably say " No ", but that

els bound inside ". Then what is it that is "bound" or "weighted?" Is it not the spirit? The spirit can b

mpressed or expanded, bound or free. The possibilities and potentialities of the human spirit are on

nown when the spirit is joined to Christ, and " by reason of use " is made strong by the Holy Spirit to

and against the powers of darkness ".



27/55


he spiritual man is "full-grown " in Christ

he " spiritual " man is also described by the Apostle as " full-grown " in Christ, and in the first letter

e Corinthians we have a striking contrast drawn between the spiritual and carnal believer. The carna

eshly -believer, can only be fed with " milk ", the simplest element of the Gospel, whereas to the " fu

own " or " spiritual " man, can be given the " deep things of God ", things which cannot even be spo

n words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Spirit teacheth, interpreting spiritual things (n

uths, be it noted, but things-facts-substances-as real as things material on earth) to spiritual men " (Iorinthians 2:10,13, R. V. margin).

he Apostle makes it clear also that the "soulish "or " man of soul "-cannot receive these " things " of

pirit, any more than the fleshly " babes of Christ " (I Corinthians 2:14), for to the soulish intellect an

isdom, they appear nought but foolishness. None but those who are " spiritual " can discern them, an

amine (R.V. margin) them-for they can be " examined " as really as material things ! The " spiritua

an " examines all things ", for he is able by the Holy Spirit to penetrate to the inner spiritual source

l things, and pierce through the veil of sense and sight to the spiritual verities lying at the back of al

ings, but the "soulish " man, i.e., the man who can use only his natural intellect, cannot pierce furthean the intellect can go, he can examine all things in the " natural " sphere, and no more !.

he " ` spiritual man ' is ripe in understanding ", writes the Apostle, and if we carefully examine all th

ferences in Paul's Epistles to the " spiritual " man, and the " full grown " man, we shall see how the

viding of soul and spirit in the believer is the condition of reaching the stage called " spiritual ", or "

ll-growth ". The " full grown " stage is again and again connected with the knowledge, teaching, an

scernment of spiritual things, all having to do with the soul.

We speak wisdom among the ` full-grown ' " (I Corinthians 2:6, R. V. margin) ; " Be not children inind... but in mind be of full age " (I Corinthians 14:20, R. V. margin) ; " Teaching every man in all

isdom that we may present every man perfect " (same Greek word as rendered full-grown, Colossia

28) ; " solid food is for full grown men, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised

scern . . . " (Hebrews 5:14, R.V.). " Let us therefore, as many as be perfect "-or " ripe in understand

" perfect " being the antithesis of " babe " (same Greek word as " full-grown " in I Corinthians 2:6)-

us minded " (Philippians 3:15), writes the Apostle in his letters. For the Colossians he prays that the

ay be " filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding " (Colossian

9); and it is the " spiritual " man who is bidden to restore a brother overtaken in any trespass, for he

n exercise the heavenly wisdom required for faithfulness in dealing with sin from the standpoint ofod, whilst loving tenderly the erring brother.*

gain, to the Ephesians the Apostle writes, " Till we all attain unto the unity of the faith, and of the

nowledge of the Son of God, unto a full-grown man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of

hrist " (Ephesians 4:13, R.V.). Here again is knowledge linked with full-growth, and the fulness of

hrist ! The " unity of the faith " which should characterise the mystical Body of Christ, and bring ab

" full-stature ", cannot be manifested until each of the individual members reaches the full-grown

age, and becomes a " spiritual " man; and again, each member cannot thus become " spiritual " until



28/55


prehends the separation of soul and spirit, so that the spirit may be fully joined to the Risen Lord, a

e " soul-vessel " in its intellectual and other departments, be energized and dominated by the spirit f

e sphere of the God-consciousness; and not from the lower life of the first Adam.

he spiritual man is " made perfect in love "

he word " perfect " or " complete " which is " full-grown " in I Corinthians 2:6, R.V. margin, and joi

often with the mind or knowledge, by Paul,

Penn-Lewis - Soul and Spirit

Documents

Transcript of Penn-Lewis - Soul and Spirit